Locking device for speed-changing gears.



G SCHLATTER.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR SPEED CHANGING GEARS AVPPLICAHON FILED DEC-24,1912.

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' time GUSTAV'SCHLATTER, OF BERGI LI,

Anson, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGN'OR 'ro THE rntm or ADOLP S AULRER, F ARCBDN, SWITZERLAND.

*oo'mne nnvrcn iron srnnnolinnerneenn ns.

Application filed December 24, 1912. gerial-iit'o. 738,433.

"To all whom it may concern:

invented certain new and useful Improve, ments in Locking Devices for Speed-Changing Gears, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to speed-changing gears, such as are used for instance in selective transmissions of the sliding gear type customary in automobiles, and has for its object to provide a simple and efiicient locking device for speed-changing gears of this general character.

Selective transmissions of the type indicated above are ordinarily operated by means of a controlling lever capable of swinging about a fulcrum and also movable lengthwise of the axis of said fulcrum, this lever acting on rods which shift the gears into and-out of mesh and also-efi'ecting a temporary locking of those rods which correspond to the gears temporarily out of mesh. In my present invention, I employ locking members, preferably of curved shape, which are movable in unison with the controlling lever. These locking members serve to place holding members or stops-in engagement with those gear-shifting rods which at the time are not in operative relation to the controlling lever. Whenever a gear-shifting rod is brought into operative relation to the controlling lever, the holding member or stop coiipcratingwith that particular rod is inactive or released, so that said rod may be shifted by the controlling lever.

In locking devices for transmissionsof the type indicated ab.ove,constructions have been devised in which the controlling lever is connected with a locking ,bar or bolt movable transversely of the gear-shifting rods in grooves of said rods. This locking bar is made with a cross groove in which the shifting rod temporarily connected with the 'controlling lever may slide, the other shifting rods being locked by the said bar or bolt entering their grooves. My new locking device is superior to the onejust indicated in that it is much less subject to wear, and therefore more durable. This improved result is due to the fact that according to my inventionthe several genr-shifting'rods cooperate, not

them and moved by the controlling lever,

Specification of Letters Patent.

portion of the section, allustratedin Figs. 1 to 4:; Fig. 6 1s a ver-- Fig.7, showof Fig. 9, showin I bearings 2 carried by the frame spectivel Patented Ma 14, re ic.

but with stops.

Three examples of my invention are illustrated ,by the accompanying drawings, in

' Y so which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a, improved speed-changing gear, taken on' line AB of 1s a horizontal section on line V 5; Fig 3 is a vertical section of some parts, taken In the same plane as Fig. 1, but with the movable parts in a different position; F g. 4 is a vertical section on line E F of Fig. 1; Fig.5 is a top view, with parts in of a speed-changing geansuch. as

tioal section, on line GH of mg another form of my invention; Fig. 7 is a top view of the construction shown in Fig; a

7 5 a third form of construc- 6; Fig. 8 is a vertical section, on line I-K ti,on; and Fig. 9 is a corresponding top view.

The mechanism shown in prises a manually operated controlling lever 1 which is secured rigidly to a. shaft e mounted to rock and also to slide'axially in the bearings 2, the shaft 4 carries a downwardly-projecting coupling arm 5 ,rovided with a rounded head 6 which is a enter the coupling recess 7 in the upwardlyextending lug 8. of one Or the other of the gear-shifting rods 10, 11, 12. These (three) rods are mounted to slide lengthwise individuallyin a suitable guide 9 secured to the frame 3, and ranging transversely of the shaft 4. Axial shifting of the shaft 4 and controlling the other of the gear-shifting rods 10, 11, 12. The lever 1 is movable in a guide 13 of well-known formation carried by one ofthe bearings 2. This arc-shaped guide has three longitudinal slots 14;, the positions taken arm 5 engages the rods 10, 11 and 12 re- The slots 14, 15, 16 are connected by longitudinal ranged centrally brought from one of the slots 14, 15, 16 to the others only when said central or neutral position.

The shiftingrod 10 is connected in the well-known manner with the gears 19, 20 mounted-by individua1-- holding members or Figs. 1 to 5com-' 8. Between apted to 15, 16 corresponding to' bythe lever when its.

slots on openings 17 ar-j so that; the lever 1 canbe Fig. 5- Fig. 2 o-nor Fi'g.

lever 1; will bring the coupling arm ,0 into operat1ve relation with one orlever is in the means of groove andfeatluarv onfli lll pelled to rotate with-it constantly. As the rod 10 is shifted in one direction or the other, the gear 19 or 20 will be brought into mesh with the gear 22 or 23 respectively secured rigidly to the countershaft 21. Similarly, shifting the rod 11, will bring the gear 24 into mesh with the countershaft gear 26, or the gear 25 into mesh with the countershaft gear 27, the gears 24, 25 being slidable in unison on the key or feather of the drive shaft 18, and rotating with said shaft. The shifting rod 12 operates in a well-known manner an auxiliary gear (notshown) according as this auxiliary gear is thrown into or out of mesh by the shifting rod 12, the countershaft 21 will rotate in one direction or the other. The rod 12 therefore is shifted to efi'ect the. reversal of the transmission.

' As shown in Fig. 4, each of the shifting rods 10, 11, 12 is provided with a spheri cally rounded socket 28, 29 and30 respectively. When the rods are in their normal .or neutral position, these sockets receive holding membersor stops formed by balls 31, 32,.a-nd 33 respectively pressed downward by plungers or holding rods 34, 35, and 36 respectively lIlOX'tllblfiyl'GItlCtlllY in cylindrical chambers 37 of a guide 38 secured to the frame 3. The rods 34, 35, 36 are pressed downward by springs, 39, the lower end of each spring fitting into an annular groove 40 provided in an enlarged portion near the lower end of the corresponding rod or plunger, while the upper I endlof the spring bears against a plug 41 shifting. rods '10, 11, or 12 vby the engagescrewed into the upper end of the corresponding Chamber 37 and perforated to guide the upper end of the rod 34, 35, or 36 respectively, which projects upwardly beyond said plug.

According'to my invention, the coupling arm 5 secured to the controller shaft 4 is provided with two arc-sha 'md or segmental locking members 42, 43 concentric with said shaft and parallel when viewed from above (Fig. 5) with the shifting rods 10, 11, 12.

The interval or gap 44 between the locking members is wide enough to release the upper end of one of the holding rods 34, 35, 36 (as shown for the rod 35 in Fig. 5). The

width of each of the locking members 42 and 43 issuiiicient to enable it, in certain positions,{ to engage the upper ends of two adjacent holding rods at the same time. YVhen thearm 5 is coupled with one of the ment of the head 6 in the recess 7 of that particular rod, the gap 44 will'be'immediajtel'y above the holding rod 34,35 or 36.001-

responding to the shifti'ngrod so coupled,

. so that thisholding rod is released andfree to yield upwardly when the controlling lever 1 is sw'ung to slide the corresponding shifting rod. The other two holding rods meat that time locked either by individual engagement with the two locking members 42, 43 as in Fig. 5, or in the other positions one of the locking members will lock two holding rods.

The operation of the above-described mechanism is as follows: Let us assume that it is desired to shift the rod 11 by means of the controlling lever l in such a manner as to bring the gear 24 (Fig. 5). into mesh with v rod 11, thus operatively connecting the controlling lever with said rod. This axial movement of the lever 1 brings the gap 44 to a position immediately over the holding rod 35, while the locking members 42, 43 are brought immediately above the upper ends of the holding rods 34, 36. If then the lever 1 be swung in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the coupling arm 5 will move the shifting rod 11 toward the left,

thus bringing the gear 24 in mesh with the gear 26. This movement of the rod 11 causes the holding ball or stop 32 to be raised out of the socket 29, causing the plunger 35 to move against the influence of the spring 39, the upper end of the said plunger or holding rod rising into the gap 44 between the two holding members 42, 43. As long asthe arm 5 is in operative connection with the shifting rod 11, the other two rods 10 and 12are held against lengthwise movement by the action of the locking members 42, 43 which lie immediately above the up- :per ends of the holding rods 34 and 36 respectively and'thus prevent these rods, and the corresponding stop balls 28 and 30 respectively, from rising. As the lever 1 is swung on its axis, the locking members 42, 43 slide on the upper ends of the holding rods 34, 36. I thus absolutely prevent any I accidental movement of the two shifting rods which at the time are not coupled or operatively connected with the controlling lever l. If thereupon it be desired to actuate the shiftingrod 10, it is necessary first to bring the rod 11 into its central 'or neutral position by swinging the controlling lever 1 in the proper direction. Then the lever 1 is moved axially in such a manner as to bring the coupling arm '5 into the recess 7 of the shiftin rod 10. This movement of the lever 1 Will brin the gap 44 immediately'above the holding rod 34, while the locking member 43 comes to he immedi- 1 .way, upon coupling the arm 5 with thev 4 locking member 42 per 1'0 may then be moved lengthwise by swing lipfi' the lever 1 on its fulcrum, since the stop 31 is free to leave its socket 28, lifting holding rod 34; at the same time, the prevents any upward the. stop balls 32, 33 are held in their sockets 29, 30, thus locking the shifting rods 11, 12

against lengthwise movement. In a sinnlar shifting rod 12 the corresponding holdin rod (36) will bereleased for longitudina' movement, while the holding rods 34,

' will be'kept intheir lower position by the locking member 42, thus preventing any longitudinal movement of the shifting rods 10, 11. I

, "The constructions shown Figs. 6 to 9 operate substantially in the same manner as the-one illustrated by Figs. 1 to 5.

levers 48,49, 50 are as According to Figs. 6 and 7, the hub of the coupling arm'5 carries the curved locking members 45, 46, separated by a gap '47, and similar in construction to the locking members 42,. 43 of the construction described above. The locking arcs or members 45, 46 do not engage the holding rods 34, 35, 36 directly, but serve 'to'lockany two of three elbow levers 48, 49 50 mounted to rock on a shaft 51 journaled in the frame 3; These connected pivotally with the upper ends of the holding rods 34, 35, and 36.:respectively, which in this case are considerably longer than in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5. In a manner analogous to that first described, the gap47 re:

leases only the one lever 48, 49 or which corresponds to the shifting rod 10,- 11 or 12 respectively operatively connected with the coupling arm 5 at that particular time, while the other two elbow levers are locked by the locking members 45, 46 or by one of them.

In Figs. 8 and 9-, the coupling arm 5 is provided with looking members 42, 43 substantially as in Figs. 1 to 5, that is to say,

with an intervening gap 44. The locking The stop balls 31, 32, 33 may be omitted and the holding rods themselves caused to act as stops by bringing their lower ends into sockets or notches of the shifting rods 1O, l1, 12. In this case, the lower ends of the holding rods would be sharpened (beveled) or rounded, and the sockets or notches of the shiftin rods would be shaped correspondingly. Tlhis modification and others may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as set forth in the appended claim. r

I claim :d h

A spee -c anging caring com risin shifting rods, stops foi holding said rod against accidental movement, springs-exerting on said stops them'toward the respective rods and into holding position a controlling lever movable laterally to bring it into operative connection with one or the other of said shifting rods, and locking members connected a pressure which forces with said lever rigidly. and curved concentrically with the axis of said lever, the said members being arranged to lock the stops of those shifting rods which at the time are not operativel connected with the controlling lever, whi e releasing the stop of the shifting rod temporarilyjconnected with said lever. In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 

